Online Reporter
EIGHT of the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee’s 29 affiliates have taken part in its Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy Formulation programme after five national federations completed the latest workshop in Harare.
Representatives from the Karate Union of Zimbabwe and Triathlon Zimbabwe joined officials from boxing, judo and korfball for the two-day workshop at ZOC headquarters.
They followed three federations that attended the inaugural session on July 4 and 5. Six more have registered for the third workshop next month.
The programme is intended to help each federation develop its own safeguarding and child protection policy. The first three participants produced draft policy frameworks, stakeholder maps, lists of prohibited practices and implementation plans.
“I am very pleased with the attendance that we are now starting to have,” said Tawanda Sithole, the ZOC board member responsible for safeguarding, child protection, inclusivity and vulnerable communities.
“For the first edition, we had three national federations, and this time around we had five. In the upcoming work-shop, we will have six national federations that have already registered to take on this policy formulation exercise.
“If the demand continues to grow, we are ready to schedule a fourth session.”
Sithole chairs the ZOC Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy Formulation Committee.
The workshops are facilitated by Sithole, Daniel Mlambo and Spiwe Nyamande Kahiya, with support from the Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sports.
Programme co-ordinator Lawrence Kamukapa led a session on ZOC’s activities and the committee’s role in promoting safeguarding across Zimbabwe’s Olympic movement.
Sithole said the response showed that affiliates were beginning to recognise the need to formalise their safeguarding and child protection measures.
“What we have now seen is that our affiliates understand the need to regularise their operations in line with promoting safe and inclusive sport,” he said.
ZOC recently presented its draft policy to all 29 affiliates during its annual general meeting and forum.
According to Sithole, the policy has also attracted interest from the International Olympic Committee and the Inter-national Olympic Academy.
ZOC wants every affiliated national federation to have a functional safeguarding policy in place. — Zimpapers/Agencies.
